A correlative study on the genetic damage induced by chemical mutagens in bone marrow and spermatogonia of mice. I. CNU-ethanol.

Cytogenetic damage induced by a wide range of concentrations of CNU-ethanol in mice was evaluated by determining the frequencies of (a) micro-nuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes of the bone marrow, (b) chromatid aberrations in bone marrow, (c) chromatid aberrations in spermatogonia, and (d) reciprocal translocations induced in spermatogonia and scored in spermatocytes. For CNU-ethanol the following order of sensitivity was found between the tests performed: micronuclei greater than aberrations in bone marrow greaer than aberrations in spermatogonia greater than translocations in spermatocytes. Correlation coefficients were calculated for the first three parameters. Positive correlations existed (a) between micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes and chromatid aberrations in bone marrow on the first day after treatment, and (b) between chromatid aberrations in bone marrow and spermatogonia at the first day after treatment. Three reciprocal translocations were induced in spermatogonia and recorded in primary spermatocytes; all were of a rare type, namely between an X chromosome and an autosome.